Handle-bar.



" No. 700,098. Patented May I3, I902.

L. N. W. SMITH.

.l-IANDLE BAR.

Qpplication filed In. 14, 1901.)

(In Modal.)

Z7 Z7 9 7,3 Z7 Z7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAIVRENCE NELSON \VHITE SMITH, OF REE HEIGHTS, SOUTH DAKOTA.

' HANDLE-BAR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 700,098, dated May 13, 1902.

Application filed March 14. 1901. s No. 51,127. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE NELSON WHITE SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ree Heights, in the county of Hand and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Handle-Bam'of which the following is a specification. 7

The present invention relates to handlebars for bicycles and similar vehicles, and more particularly to that class of adjustable handle-bars in which a :pair of arms are employed having at their inner ends worm-teeth which are engaged by the worm-thread of an operating-stem-located between the two.

One of thezobjects of the. invention is to provide a construction whereby the arms may be easily adjusted, without the necessity of loosening and tightening bolts, screws, or other fastening devices and at'the same time provide means for takingup the Wear of the several elements-, saidmea'ns being readily accessible without the necessity of removing the handle-bars from the vehicle or disasso- 'ciating any of the'pa'rts thereof.

In carrying outthe above objects the construction described in thefollowing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings is preferably employed; but it'will be understood that this may be changed and modified within the scope of the appended claims. 7

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a bicycle, showing the.

improved handle-bar'applie'd thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the head ofj-the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the same,.

and Fig; l is .a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the pivot-bolts.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the construction shown in the drawings the steering head of the bicycle is designated by the reference-numeral 10 and the handlebar as awhole by the numeral 11.

The handle-bar is constructed in the following manner: A casing 12 is provided, having oppositely-located side openings 13, and pivot-ears 14 arranged on opposite sides of said openings 13.

A bearing-web 15, having.

a central opening 16, extends across the lower portion of said casing some distance above the lower edge of thesame, forming asocket for the purpose hereinafter set forth. Both the outer and inner face of the upper end and the outer face of the lower end of'the casing are screw-threaded, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. r

The handle-bar proper comprises a pair of arms 17, carrying at their outer ends the usual grips 18. These arms may be of any desirable constructionor shape and are provided at their innerven'ds with apertured circular heads 19, the edges of which carry worm-teeth 20,concentric with the apertures. These arms are pivotally mounted upon the casing'1'2 by means of pivot-bolts 21, that pass through the ears 14 and the apertures of the heads 19. By referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings it will be observed'that these bolts each comprise a head 22, having radial ribs 23 on its inner face, and a shank 24, projecting from the head. This shank has an enlarged concentric bearing portion 25, contiguous to the head, and a central eccentric pivotcam 26, the remainder of the shank being concentric with the enlarged portion 25 and screw-threaded to receive the nut 27. Thus it will be observed that when in position the inner face of the head of the bolt will bear against the outer face of one of the ears, and the ribs thereof will interlock with similar ribs provided upon said ear. The concentric bearing portion 25 will thereupon be journaledin'the ear, and the arm 17 of the handie-bar will be pivoted upon the eccentric cam 26. The threaded concentric portion of the shankis passed through the opposite ear and the nut threaded upon the same, thus binding the head 19 tightly between the cars 14.

For the purpose of adjusting the arms 17 a stem 28 is rotatably mounted within the casing 12, the lower end of said stem being provided with a journal-stud 29, that engages in the opening 16 of the web 15 and having at its upper end an angular head 39,.which is located in exposed positionabove-the upper edge of the casing. The body of this stem has a concavous annular groove 31, that receives the circular end portions of the heads '19 of the arms 17, and a worm thread32 is arranged upon the face of this groove and meshes with the worm-teeth 20 of said heads. By rotating the stem 28 it will therefore be seen that the outer ends of the arms will be raised or lowered.

In order to hold the stem 28 in place, the upper portion thereof is cut away to form an annular shoulder 33, which is located below the upper edge of the casing,.and thusleaves a space between the stem and said casing, and a clampingring 31L, having its outer face threaded to engage the threads on the inner face of the casing, is screwed down in said space and bears upon the shoulder 33. The upper end of this clamping-ring is provided with an outstanding flange 35, that covers the upper edge of the casing and has its outer edge milled or roughened. A locking-ring 36 is screwed upon the exterior face of the upper end of the casing 12, and a washer 37 is interposed between its upper end and the under side of the flange 35. This ring is adapted to be moved upwardly, and thus force the washer into binding engagement with the flange 35.

In connection with the above-described mechanism is employed suitable means for securing the bar to the steering-head of a bicycle or similar vehicle, which is substantially as follows: A clamping-shank 38 is secured by brazing or otherwise in the socket in the lower end of the casing 12 and is bifurcated by means of a tapering slot 39 to form a pair of depending legs 40. In this slot is slidably mounted a wedge-shaped expander 41, having outstanding lugs 42 at its upper side edges, said lugs passing through suitable slots made in the lower end of the casing. An adjusting-ring 43, havingits periphery milled or otherwise roughened, is screwed upon the lower end of the casing and has an annular groove 4% in its inner face, which receives the lugs 42 of the expander. It will thus be seen that when the ring 43 is rotated and moved upwardly the wedge 41 will also be drawn up and the legs 40 spread apart.

In applying the device the wedge 41 is lowered and the shank 38 slipped into the steering-head. The adj usting-ring a3 is then rotated to draw the expander upwardly, thus spreading the legs 40 apart and forcing them into binding engagement with the tubing of the steering-head.

To adjust the arms of the bar, it is only necessary to apply a wrench to the angular projecting head of the stem and rotate the same, whereupon the outer ends will be lowered or raised, as desired. In a construction of this sort it is necessary, or at least greatly desirable, that there should be no lost motion between the parts, so that the bar will be rigid and stable, and in order to insure an engagementof this sort between the inner ends of each arm and the stem the eccentric pivots are provided. Should this engagement through wear or otherwise become loosened, it is only necessary to turn the shank of the pivot-bolt, thus rotating the cam and urging the teeth 20 into closer engagement with the stem. By means of these bolts, also, either arm' may be independently adjusted to a certain degree for the purpose of having both grips on the same horizontal plane. Furthermore, to prevent longitudinal movement of the stem the ring 34 may be moved downwardly and is itself locked by the ring 36. The peripheries of the milled rings 35, 3G, and 43 may each be provided with one or more transverse notches 45, so that a spanner may be attached thereto in order to tighten said rings.

Many advantages result from this construction. In the first place, the handle-bar may be adjusted without the necessity of loosening and retightening fastening bolts, screws, or the like. Furthermore, the peculiar construction of the stem and coacting portion of the arm provide an arrangement whereby the strain is distributed equally to several teeth as distinguished from those which have but one and perhaps a small portion of one or two other teeth meshing with the worm at one time.

A still further advantage resides in the arrangement of the several operating parts, which are all carried by and upon the exterior face of the casing, so that they are readily accessible for the purpose of taking up the wear and lost motion. Finally, the entire device is exceedingly compact and is simple and inexpensive.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a handle-bar, the combination with a casing, of a stem rotatably mounted within the casing and provided with a concavous annular groove having a worm-thread on its surface, of a pair of handle-bar arms pivotally mounted upon the casing and having inner convexed edges fittingin the annular groove of the stem and provided with worm-teeth that-engage the worm-thread of the same.

2. In a handle-bar, the combination with a casing having an open upper end, of a pair of handle-bar arms pivoted upon the casing and having worm-teeth at their inner ends, an operating-stem rotatably mounted in the casing and having a worm-thread that engages the teeth of the arms, retaining means for the stem movably secured to one face of the casing and engaging said stem, and a locking device located upon the other face of the casing and engaging the retaining means to prevent the movement of the same.

ICC

3. In a handle-bar, the combination with a casing having anopen upper end, said end being provided with screw-threads on its inner and outer faces, of a pair of handle-bar arms pivoted uponthe casing and having worm-threads at their inner ends, an operat-- ing-stem rotatably mounted in the casing and having a worm-thread that engages the teeth of the arms, a retaining-ring for the same threaded upon the inner face of the casing and engaging said stem, and a locking-ring threaded upon the outer face of the casing and engaging the retaining-ring to prevent the movement of the same.

4. In ahandle-bar, the combination with a casing having an open upper end and outward1y-projecting ears, of a pair of handlebar arms pivoted to said ears and provided with worm-teeth at their inner ends, an operating-stem rotatably mounted in the casing over the upper end of the casing and a locking-ring screwed upon the upper end of the casing and adapted to hold the clampingring against movement.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LAWRENCE NELSON WHITE SMITH.

Witnesses:

RICHARD L. SMITH, CLARENCE SMITH. 

